Nightgowns for nursing mothers



1969 E. E. NICKERSON 3, 3,

NIGHTGOWNS FOR NURSING MOTHERS Filed Oct. 21. 1965 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Sleeveless nursing nightgown with its front portion having an upper flap portion detachably attached to a collarlike yoke substantially at the shoulders of the garment, the upper flap portion covering the breat area with its upper edge covered by the yoke.

The present invention relates to nursing garments and particularly to nursing nightgowns.

Breast feeding is generally regarded as desirable but it does present problems to the mother as far as clothing is concerned. The problem has, of course, been long recognized but the proposals for its solution have not been satisfactory both as to the functioning of the garments and as to their appearance. This is particularly true in the case of nightgowns which, desirably, should be sufficiently attractive and well made to give long service but capable of being quickly and easily adapted to permit breast feeding.

The particular objective of the invention is to provide a garment, particularly a nightgown, that will enable the demands of a nursing mother to be met without sacrifice to her desires for attractiveness and utility other than during the months when she is nursing her baby. In accordance with the invention, this general objective is attained by providing a nursing garment having a neckencirclng yoke and a garment front portion. Means join the front portion, which is otherwise a free flap dimensioned to cover the breast area, to the yoke and the means are operable to release a corner part of the front portion so that it becomes a depending, breast-exposing flap. The means can and preferably does permit the freeing of the entire front portion from the yoke. The means joining the front portion and the yoke are preferably a series of detachable fasteners located adjacent each corner and centrally of the front portion. In its preferred form, the front portion carries a series of buttons along its upper edge, one adjacent each corner and the yoke has appropriately located buttonholes. In addition the yoke may have a skirt-like portion overlying and concealing the buttonholes.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which these and other of the objectives, novel features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a nursing nightgown in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view thereof with one of its flaps released, and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of the nightgown with the other flap released.

The nightgown shown in the drawings consist of a 3,423,761 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 yoke 5 to which the back 6 is stitched. The front 7 includes a flap portion 8 extending from the lower edge of the arm holes to substantially the shoulder portion and thus is dimensioned to cover the breasts when secured to the yoke 5 but which is otherwise a free flap, the side margins of which are connected to the material forming the lower edges of the arm holes.

Three buttons 9, 10, and 11 are secured along the outer face of the front portion 8, the buttoms 9 and 10 adjacent the corners thereof and the button 11 centrally thereof. The yoke 5 has buttonholes 12, 13, and 14 for the buttons 9, 10, and 11, respectively. With this arrangement, the front portion 8 may be secured in breast-covering position, and either breast may be exposed by freeing either one of the corner buttons 9, 10, thereby to provide a depending breast exposing left flap (FIGURE 3), or a like right flap (FIGURE 2).

The yoke 5 is shown as including a skirt-like portion 15 disposed and dimensioned to overlie and conceal the buttons while enabling each to be easily freed from or again caught by the appropriate buttonhole.

It will be appreciated that a nursing nightgown in accordance with the invention is well adapted for its intended use. When a flap is released, it depends below the exposed breast and hence cannot get in the way of the infant. At the same time, the construction does not interfere with attractive designs so that nightgowns in accordance with the invention are well adapted for general use both before the baby arrives and after its use as a convenience to a nursing mother is no longer needed.

I claim:

1. In a sleeveless nursing nightgown, a neck-encircling, collar-like yoke, a garment front portion including an upper flap portion extending from the lower edge of the arm holes upwardly to substantially the shoulder portion of said nightgown, and a pair of releasable connections joining the upper edge of the flap to said yoke, with the yoke overlying said flap upper edge, said upper flap portion covering the breast area of a wearer with the side margins of said upper flap portion being connected to the material forming the lower edges of the 'arm holes of said nightgown and defining the front edges of the said arm holes, there being one releasable connection at each corner of said upper flap portion, either connection when released freeing a corner part of said upper flap portion as a depending, breast-exposing flap.

2. The nightgown of claim 1 and a third releasable connection between the edge of the upper flap portion and the yoke, the third connection being midway between the pair of connections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 697,576 4/1902 Walter et al. 2104 1,932,940 10/1933 Sipe 274 2,124,366 7/1938 De Lasarte 2104 XR 2,661,472 12/ 1953 Miller 274 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

